Two arrested in Niles holdup

Shots were fired at witness who followed getaway vehicle to Indiana.

Shots were fired at witness who followed getaway vehicle to Indiana.

December 07, 2007|LOU MUMFORD Tribune Staff Writer

NILES -- Two of the three men suspected of robbing a Marathon Service Station near Niles on Nov. 28 have been arrested on felony charges, including armed robbery. Michigan State Police in Niles said Atrell J. Hagler, 19, and Lamont S. Jamerson, 21, both of South Bend, were lodged in the Cass County Jail after arraignment in 4th District Court in Cassopolis. Information is still being sought on a third person believed to have been involved in the holdup, police said. The holdup took place about 10:45 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Lenny Mini Mart, a Marathon station on U.S. 12 near Michigan 60. Police said a clerk at the station was pistol-whipped by two armed men and was later treated for minor injuries at Lakeland Community Hospital, Niles. A 27-year-old man who witnessed the robbery followed the suspects' auto to the area of Brick Road and Laurel Creek Drive in St. Joseph County, Ind., police said, but had to drive away when the suspects' auto stopped and one of the occupants fired shots at his car. Although his car was damaged, he wasn't hurt, police said. Detective Sgt. Fabian Suarez said officers received a crucial break in the case when South Bend police officer Ken Stuart recognized and stopped a vehicle matching the description of the suspects' auto on the city's west side. "From officer Stuart's alert actions, two suspects were identified along with additional evidence of the robbery," Suarez said. Stuart made the arrest about the same time South Bend police apprehended a man accused of robbing the 1st Source Bank at Ireland and Ironwood roads. The vehicle in the Niles robbery was a Ford Bronco, police said, which was the same model of vehicle officials at first believed was used in the Ireland Road robbery. That vehicle, though, turned out to be a Chevrolet Blazer. "It caused a lot of confusion for about an hour," said Capt. Phil Trent, a South Bend police spokesman. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Suarez at (269) 683-4411. Staff writer Tom Moor contributed to this report. Staff writer Lou Mumford: lmumford@sbtinfo.com (269) 687-7002